No abstract

This paper suggests that feelings (moods and emotions) play a central role in the leadership process. More specifically, it is proposed that emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage moods and emotions in the self and others, contributes to effective leadership in organizations. Four major aspects of emotional intelligence, the appraisal and expression of emotion, the use of emotion to enhance cognitive processes and decision making, knowledge about emotions, and management of emotions, are described. Then, I propose how emotional intelligence contributes to effective leadership by focusing on five essential elements of leader effectiveness: development of collective goals and objectives; instilling in others an appreciation of the importance of work activities; generating and maintaining enthusiasm, confidence, optimism, cooperation, and trust; encouraging flexibility in decision making and change; and establishing and maintaining a meaningful identity for an organization.

Building from an attraction-selection-attrition framework (Schneider, 1987) and the socialization literature, this study views personality, affect, and behavior as group-level phenomena. Among a sample of 26 work groups, it was found that individual affect was consistent within groups, suggesting that the affective tone of a group is a meaningful construct. Characteristic levels of the personality traits positive affeclivity and negative affectivity within groups were positively associated with the positive and negative affective tones of the groups, respectively. In addition, the affective tone of a group was related to group behaviors. More specifically, the negative affective tone of a group was found to be negatively related to the extent to which the group engaged in prosocial behavior. Absenteeism by group members was negatively correlated with the positive affective tone.Recent developments in the study of affect at work have led to several promising areas of inquiry. In particular, researchers have broadened the scope of hypothesized antecedents and consequences of work-related affect. In terms of antecedents, increasing recognition is being given to the impact of personality traits or dispositions (e.g.,

Five forms of organizational spontaneity are described (helping co-workers, protecting the organization, making constructive suggestions, developing oneself, and spreading goodwill). Organizational spontaneity is compared with the seemingly analogous constructs of organizational citizenship behavior and prosocial organizational behavior. Based on a selective review of the literature, a multilevel model of spontaneity is presented. Positive mood at work is a pivotal construct in the model and posited as the direct precursor of organizational spontaneity. Primary work-group characteristics, the affective tone of the primary work group, affective disposition, life event history, and contextual characteristics are proposed to have direct or indirect effects, or both, on positive mood at work. Motivational bases of organizational spontaneity also are described. The model and its implications are discussed.